Tshwane mayor Solly Msimanga takes flak over 'body builder' aide

Barely two months after losing his chief of staff‚ Tshwane mayor Solly Msimanga is facing another staffing crisis involving the executive head of his office‚ Stefan de Villiers.

The ANC has taken issue with the appointment of De Villiers. It alleges Msimanga hired a "body builder without any qualification except a questionable body builders’ certificate in a position that requires 12 years of experience and post-matric qualification".

It is understood that he earns an annual salary of about R1-million‚ that he did have a matric certificate and was enrolled at Unisa.

The furore around De Villiers’s appointment comes about two months after Msimanga’s chief of staff‚ Marietha Aucamp‚ had to resign when it emerged that she did not have the qualifications for the position.

Msimanga‚ defending the appointment‚ saying the job requirements of political staff were different from officials who worked in the municipal administration. Msimanga said De Villiers was the best qualified to help him communicate with communities and had extensive experience in the area.